1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lift/tow assistance device to relieve stress on the lower arm in sporting activities, particularly when strenuous, using equipment which the user holds onto, and more particularly in equipment gymnastics and water skiing, featuring a cuff for placing around the wrist, which cuff is connected to a hook by a strap with a lock, which cuff can be hung on the sporting equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lift/tow assistance devices of this kind are known from German Published Patent Specification No. 33 00 712 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,541,990. The essential feature of such lift/tow assistance devices is the use of a hook which, with the assistance of a cuff secured to the wrist, serves as a strain relief. For instance, an equipment gymnast, after having secured the cuff to his wrist, can hang onto a horizontal bar or chin up bar. It is understood that a cuff of this kind is attached to each wrist, one hand of the user gripping over the corresponding hook in the device. In this way each hook takes over the function of the hand in gripping the gymnastic equipment, thus relieving stress on the lower arm. This results in the connection between the equipment, which could be a horizontal bar for instance, and the user being maintained longer due to lesser stressing of the lower arm. Among other things, this has the advantage that the shoulder and back muscles can be stressed considerably longer than is normally possible when the user grips the bar merely by his hands.
The known lift/tow assistance device of the above mentioned kind has the disadvantage that the lock forms part of the strap, together with which it is movable with respect to the cuff, i.e. is capable of shifting and moving out of place all the time. It is thus left to the user to decide in which place the lock is to be arranged on the cuff, which can result in the lock not being in the centre of the cuff but rather at one of its ends. Since the cuff tighthens partly around the wrist, the said lock can thus only be opened or closed inconviently in such an extreme position when by the other hand of the user the assistance device is applied. In addition, in this known construction, the hook itself is not fixed with respect to the strap which means that the assistance device comprising hook, strap and cuff does not permit a fixed arrangement of the said three parts in relation to each other, so that time-consuming manipulations are required to find out the best position of the hook in relation to the other two parts.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to improve and further develop the known lift/tow assistance device of the above mentioned kind so that it is not only easier to use but also to ensure that it provides the user with optimum stress relief between the sporting appliance and the hand or arm, without necessitating time-consuming adjustments when applying the cuff, the result of which naturally can not be optimal.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a lift/tow assistance which offers better manipulation in applying and removing the device.
It is still a further object to improve stability and useful life of the lift/tow assistance device.
According to still another object of the present invention the lift/tow assistance device is to be provided with an arrangement eliminating the pressure point between the cuff and the lock.